Excursion on the Excellence

[USCcruisecrazy]

We just returned from our 8 day Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Crown Princess. I thought I'd give a little feedback on the excursion we took while docked in Antigua. It was the Island tour, snorkel, and lunch. We booked through Princess. The catamaran was the Excellence and it was an awesome trip.

 

After disembarking the ship, we walked to the end of the pier and met up the guide who escorted us a few hundred yards away to where the Excellence was tied off. It was a simple process getting on board and securing a seat. We had a party of 12, but were able to all sit in the same area. Once everyone was on board, we headed out to open waters and sailed about half way around the island. The sites were beautiful, the narrator was very informative, and the crew was very accommodating. On the first leg of the trip, free non-alcoholic beverages were available.

 

Once we made it about half way around Antigua, we anchored in a rather secluded beach area, grabbed our snorkel equipment, received a short safety and instructional briefing, then hit the water. It wasn't the best snorkel I've ever done, but it was pretty nice and we saw a few choice creatures like a giant sea turtle and an octopus...plus plenty of fish and coral. After the snorkel portion was done (you could basically stop whenever you chose) you were allowed to partake in the cold adult beverages. For those not snorkeling, that started as soon as we anchored. They provided cold beer (Caribe was the common choice), rum punch, and a few other drinks made with rum.

 

We spent some time on the beach and some time in the water. After about half an hour, the crew started serving a nice lunch that consisted of jerk chicken, fried fish, and a few different side items, to include a salad if you chose. You could sit on the beach or on the boat. We spent a while longer hanging out on the beach and then boarded for the journey back around the other side of the island.

 

The ride was mostly smooth, with the exception of a short time in more open Atlantic waters. The drinks, however, flowed much more freely on the ride back and the crew was excellent at keeping folks engaged, to include a conga line around the boat. Needless to say, our group had more than our share of beverages and enjoyed the trip very much. It was the second best excursion of the trip (Dolphin Swim was #1).

 

I highly recommend a trip on the Excellence. It's well worth the cost.

[gaylemh]

I was thinking about booking this through Royal. How were the beaches for those that don't snorkel? Last month I went on the Catamaran with Lobster Lunch and the water at the beaches was rough with steep drop offs.

 

Did they supply noodles for those that just want to float around in the water?

 

Were there restrooms available on the main deck, or did you have to go down stairs?